Hello and welcome to today's episode: it's Saturday 23 August 2025 (not the 22nd like I say on the podcast).

Join me on on the plot this morning as we let the chickens and ducks out together. It's been another busy week although somewhat quiet on the flower selling front. Still lots of watering to be done as we remain in drought conditions and lots of deadheading (although admittedly not as much as normal).

Today I'm talking to you about cool-season annuals. Do you know what they are and why they're called 'cool-season annuals'? I've never understood why some growers sow their annuals in the autumn (rather than spring) but now I do. I've been reading Lisa Mason Ziegler's book, The Cut Flower Handbook, all week and I've learnt so much. It's an incredible book and I'd really encourage you to read it. I feel very inspired to start sowing my cool-season annuals now and get them planted on the plot in the next couple of months.

I do hope you find this episode interesting and I very much hope that you'll come back and join me for the next episode.

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Join me on my journey through a year of growing and selling cut flowers in England. I'm giving you the low-down on what it's really like, how I'm getting started, what you do and don't need, what I do when and why, the successes and failures, and just about everything in between. All in real time. With guest appearances from my chickens every now and then.